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Being willing to run through a brick wall for a club is one of many over-used cliches in football.

But for Steve Davies at Hamilton it might not be so far from the truth.

The big Scouser admits he could probably stick his head through a concrete slab without feeling a thing.

However, this has nothing to do with his unquestionable commitment to the cause. The striker’s bravery runs far deeper than putting his coupon in where it hurts.

Nine years ago, Davies suffered the kind of horrifying on-field injury that surgeons warned would stop his burgeoning career in its tracks.

Laid out by a sickening aerial collision with Portugal international Jose Fonte while playing for Derby against Southampton, the then 23-year-old suffered a shattered skull which threatened not only his career but something much worse.

(Image: Daily Record)

A 10-hour operation to reconstruct his skull by inserting 10 metal plates and 22 screws and a two-day induced coma followed.

But it was only when he woke up two days later to the news he had been two millimetres away from total brain damage that Davies realised the severity of what had happened.

Nine years on, the 32-year-old has a real sense of gratitude for every minute he still has on the park.

And he’s discovered a new love for the game at Accies which he hopes will see him end his playing days in Lanarkshire.

Asked if he still suffers any after effects of his brutal injury almost a decade later, Davies told Record Sport: “There are plenty. But I could probably stick my head through a brick wall and not feel anything.

“When they operated they had to cut through all the nerves in my forehead. There’s no sensation there at all now.”

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Recalling the incident, Davies went on: “A cross came in and I tried to dart in front of Fonte but he put his arm out and caught me flush in the head.

“It hurt but I didn’t think much of it. The pain wasn’t that bad at first. I’ve done both cruciates and that is excruciating but this wasn’t like that.

“But when I saw the physio’s face, I knew it was serious. When I was in the ambulance I could just feel an unbelievable pressure like my head was going to explode.

“Surgery was only meant to be an hour or two. But I ended up being put in a coma. It wasn’t until they woke me up on the Monday morning that they told me the operation took 10 hours to fix.

“I got 10 metal plates and 22 screws in my head. I was two millimetres away from complete brain damage.

“Hearing that was scary. I had only just got married and have two kids.

“I was told I had to wear a mask for the rest of my career. That lasted three games because I couldn’t deal with it.

“I got back playing eight months later and we had a game at Birmingham. Nigel Clough told me if there was any problem just to come off.

(Image: Getty Images)

“We had a free-kick and the mask had been bothering me so I whipped it off – and promptly scored a header. I ran towards Nigel to celebrate and forgot I still had the mask in my hand.

“I tried to put it on but it was too late. We kicked off and the next minute my number went up and he subbed me.

“Nigel was more concerned for my well being. That’s the kind of guy he is.”

Davies is grateful for being handed a second chance.

He said: “I’m very lucky. If you had asked me back then about playing again then I wouldn’t have been interested.

“The surgeons were amazing. They said to cut my losses with the game and enjoy life.

“But once I played my first game it was just normal again. You don’t have time to think about it.

“I still suffer after-effects. The debris from where they had operated dropped down into my sinuses and blocked the cavity. So on my 24th birthday in December I was in surgery again.

“They had to drill up my nostrils to clear the sinuses and I’m still bothered by that to this day.

“Nigel Clough was unbelievable with me. He was one of the first people to visit in hospital.

“My contract was up at the end of that season. But he came straight in and said they would give me another year on my deal. He put his neck on the line for me.”

(Image: SNS Group)

Davies notched 23 goals in 94 appearances for Derby before finally being tempted away by Derek McInnes at Bristol City.

Blackpool was his next stop where he had the distinction of playing with and being managed by Barry Ferguson in the same season.

“Barry was unbelievable,” he said. “He is the best player I have ever played with, technically and the way he would command the ball.

“Once he became manager he had to stop playing. It was tough on him because he was friends with us all. But he did a good job.”

A loan deal at Sheffield United followed by a move to Bradford brought successive League One play-off semi-final appearances.

Rochdale was next on Davies’ career journey and he famously netted an equaliser against Spurs in the FA Cup to seal a replay.

But it wasn’t until he was tempted north of the border for a fresh challenge by Accies last January that Davies really rediscovered a feeling of being at home, despite being three hours from his family back in England.

He soon wrote his name into Accies’ folklore, netting the clincher on the final day of the season in a 2-0 win over St Johnstone that secured a sixth successive season in the top flight for the Lanarkshire side.

Davies said: “That goal probably means more to me than people think. I have played for some massive clubs with so many staff you know their faces but not their names.

“But we are a small club and I know everyone personally. If I hadn’t scored that goal and the result hadn’t gone our way then you’d find there would be even less people around the place. So it was massive.

“Hamilton sits perfectly with me at this stage. I want to keep playing and it would be brilliant if I could see the rest of my career out here.

“I worked with Brian Rice before, he was chief scout under Nigel at Derby. I know his style and it works for me. I love coming to work.”